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The Beauty Within

I want you to know that life has taught and shown me how to see and understand the things and people I did not know

I want you to know that I now see the beauty within you. 

There was a time when I only saw and found value with and in your outer beauty,

yet that was through and with the eyes of the broken boy that I once was, yet with and through the eyes of the man that I’m becoming and have grown to be,

I now find that the beauty within you is more valuable than your outer beauty because it has shown me who you are.

The beauty, Joy, Peace, hopes, desires, urges, and love

with and in me that I once did not have or was not so tall.

I now understand that a relationship is not about two people coming together and hoping for the best; rather, it’s about two people joining together and being willing to do what is necessary to make it work.

Someone from long ago will see us as we once were, yet unaware of how much we have grown apart and together in and of life.

From day one, I knew and felt there was something special about you. But yet today, I see that there is something special about me.

📬

These stories arrive by mail.

Every month, a physical envelope arrives at your door, postmarked from San Quentin Village, California. Inside, you will find original artwork, writing, and recipes from real contributors, along with a personal letter from me, Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, about the people who made them. You read it. You keep it.

Every piece comes from someone serving a sentence. Every piece reminds you they are so much more than that.

📬 Join the Mail Club

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